Twelve arrested for allegedly running cat trafficking ring in Vietnam

BBC ^ | 10/05/2026 | Ethirajan Anbarasan,Rachel Flynn

[BenLurkin]

Twelve men have been arrested in Vietnam after allegedly confessing to stealing and selling around 2,700 cats, Ho Chi Minh City police have said.

Cat traps, fur removal machines and measuring scales were among the items seized during the investigation. The men are suspected of taking the pets to be slaughtered for food.

Police allege the suspects roamed through residential areas in small groups on motorbikes at night to steal the cats.

The men reportedly used pieces of fish as bait, placing traps outside houses where they knew cats were kept, state media reported. Thirteen of the rescued felines have since been returned to their owners.

According to the animal protection organisation Humane World for Animals, an estimated five million dogs and one million cats are captured, stolen, trafficked and slaughtered for meat in Vietnam every year.

The consumption of dog and cat meat is legal in the country, where many restaurants openly advertise it on their menu. But vendors require permits that show the origin of the animals.

Each group allegedly stole an average of four to 10 cats per night, according to a police statement in Ho Chi Minh City police department's official newspaper.

---

TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS:

[Bigg Red]

Western Civilization works best.

[subterfuge]

In Korea the street vendors advertise “pork, chicken or MEAT.”